What Is VPN?

VPN (or Virtual Private Network) was initially invented for big corporations with a lot of branches in other cities or abroad. VPN was used to unite all offices in one safe network where all data is encrypted. Even now a lot of behemoth corporations use VPN for organizing work between different offices and remote workers.

Nowadays VPN has become popular among private users because privacy and encryption which it offers are quite necessary for using the internet. If you want to know more about VPN and what is this page is for you.

What Is VPN for?

Two basic purposes of using VPN are security and location spoofing. For security VPN services offer data encryption and secure connection. For locations spoofing they have a wide variety of IP addresses and servers all around the world.

If you want to know further what’s a VPN connection for we should mention that it is irreplaceable for people who love to travel and often connect to Wi-Fi spots in hotels, restaurants or bars.

Do I Need a VPN?

If you are still in doubt about what is the VPN and whether do you need it here are the main reasons to use VPN. Just check them and maybe you will find the answer.

I often connected to public Wi-Fi spots

Public Wi-Fi spots (even those which are protected with a password) can be dangerous for you. They are often used by cyber criminals which intercept your connection and may have an access to all data which you send or receive on your mobile device (accounts’ credentials, some private information). Sometimes criminals may even create an open Wi-Fi spot in public place, name it like “McDonalds_free_WiFi” and collect the data from people which will use it for communication, sending e-mails, etc.

VPN service will help you to encrypt all the traffic (incoming and outcoming) on your smartphone or tablet. Even if somebody will intercept the network and gain an access to your data he won’t be able to decrypt and use it.

I want to watch Netflix or listen to Pandora Radio

A lot of online streaming services introduce geographical restrictions. Some services just not available in other countries, some services offer for different countries a different set of available options (like on Netflix USA all TV series are available, but even in European countries they offer quite a short list of available TV series).

For copyright reasons online radio and music streaming services also are not available in all countries. It is especially frustrating when you are ready to pay for the subscription, but in your location it is unavailable.

I want to torrent

If you are torrenting a lot, it usually means that you know something about VPN and don’t ask what is it. But in a couple of words VPN will help you to use torrents without any worries that copyright owners will ask your internet service provider (ISP) to send you the official letter with some legal notice. Of course for such purpose, it is better to choose VPN service with no logs policy which located in the privacy-friendly country.

Also, VPN provider will help you to overcome bandwidth throttling which some ISPs use for torrents.

Some internet providers practice the lowering of speed for such types of traffic as torrents and online video in Full-HD quality VPN service will help you to hide the fact that you are torrenting thus the speed of your connection may increase.

I want to keep my surfing in secret

If you want to use torrents or visit some sites which are currently prohibited in your country, it is better to keep such things in secret. VPN service will help you to hide your location and your real IP address. You ISP won’t see what sites you are visiting.

There are two fine points to know about:

First of all, for privacy, you should choose VPN provider with zero logs policy, various payment methods (which include PayPal and Bitcoins) and located in a country which has privacy-friendly legislation.

Second, just VPN is not enough for the full anonymity on the internet. To be fully anonymous and leave no trace it is better to use VPN and Tor browser. Such combination will help you to surf anonymously.

FAQs about What VPN Is

Will VPN connection work without the internet?

No. You need internet connection from you ISP in order to make VPN work. VPN is not a replacement for the internet, it just improves your experience of using world wide web.

Is VPN legal?

Yes. VPN is not prohibited. Some restrictions for VPN exist in China and Iran, but in other countries it is legal. Of course, you should take into account that in some countries (like the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand) all internet service providers must retain logs from their users and these logs may be requested by authorities. So if you want to use VPN for privacy it is better to choose VPN provider which is located in privacy-friendly countries.

Does VPN provide my full protection on the internet?

Actually, VPN protects your data by encryption and your privacy by spoofing your IP address and location. It won’t protect your computer or the mobile device from malware or ransomware, it won’t prevent you from phishing and attempts of unauthorized access to your accounts. So even in the case of using VPN you still need a reliable antivirus and antimalware software and some attention towards your login details.

What VPN is better: free or paid?

Generally speaking, free VPN never has the same reliability and all features of the paid VPN. Average cost from $5 to $10 per month (like the cup of coffee in Starbucks) but it provides security of your data, the privacy of your surfing, better choice of IP addresses and servers and other features. Also, almost all paid VPN providers offer free trials of money-back guarantee so you can do a “test drive” before buying paid subscription package. For more information about free trials, you can check this page Top VPN Trial

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